


in a cafe (I watched it begin again)

by komhmagnus



Series: Flufftober 2018 [23]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Human, Bakery and Coffee Shop, F/M, First Meetings, M/M, alec gets a date, kind of, maia is wrong, red velvet cupcakes are delicious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 15:12:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16390073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/komhmagnus/pseuds/komhmagnus
Summary: for flufftober day 23:  sugar





	in a cafe (I watched it begin again)

**Author's Note:**

> title is from Begin Again by Taylor Swift

The cafe was mostly empty today, Alec noted with a sigh. Simon and Maia were the only patrons at the moment. Alec loved his friends, he did, but he really, really wished they weren’t there. They were an aggressively cute couple and Alec was an aggressively single man.

Usually Alec could ignore them when they got too cute, focusing on customers instead, but it had been slow all day. _He_ hadn’t even come in. The insanely beautiful man who came in every day and sat for hours doing work or reading. Magnus, the man who’s name he knew from scrawling it on paper coffee cups. The man Alec had been admiring from behind the counter for almost a year now.

“What do you mean you don’t like red velvet?” Simon’s incredulous voice brought Alec’s attention back to the couple. Simon’s face was scrunched in mock horror.

“It’s not a real flavor,” Maia said, pointing at the cupcake in Simon’s hand. “It’s basically just chocolate or something!”

“Yes but it’s _red_ ,” Simon said, as if that was undeniable proof he was right.

Maia shook her head, her curls bouncing. “Red isn’t a flavor. It’s just dyed sugar.”

“Well, then, dyed sugar is my favorite flavor,” Simon said, earning a scoff from his girlfriend. “Alec,” he said, meeting his eyes across the table. “Tell her red velvet is the greatest flavor on the face of the earth.”

Alec shook his head, grimacing. “I refuse to answer that.”

“Why?” Maia challenged, smirking at Simon. “It’s because I’m right, isn’t it?”

Alec was spared from answering, the sound of the door chime drawing his attention away.

“Magnus,” Alec smiled, seeing the flustered man hurrying inside to escape the cold. “The usual?” he asked, standing from the table and hurrying back behind the counter.

Magnus stopped short and stared at him, mouth hanging open slightly. “You know my usual?”

Alec blinked at him before he realized. _Oh_. He hadn’t done that yet, hadn’t ever acknowledged that he’d been paying attention. That he waited for Magnus and looked forward to their 30 second at most conversation. “Well, yeah,” he said lamely after a few seconds had past. “You come in every day and you always order a caramel macchiato. And sometimes you get a cupcake or a scone.”

Magnus smiled, the surprise evident in his widened eyes. “I’m impressed. Do you pay this much attention to all your patrons?”

Alec shook his head, giving him a small grin. “No. Just the ones who come in all the time, or the ones that interest me.” He reached for a cup.

“Do I fall in both categories, or just the first?” Magnus asked while Alec made his drink.

“Both,” Alec answered without any hesitation.

“Hey!” Maia squealed. Magnus and Alec both turned to see her nose covered in frosting. Simon doubled over in his laughter, face in his arm on the table.

Alec turned back to Magnus and shook his head, but even he couldn’t hide his grin. “Ignore them. They’re disgustingly in love.”

“You’re just jealous, Lightwood!” Simon called.

“I don’t know, Maia’s not really my type,” he deadpanned, earning a curious look from Magnus. “I’m gay,” he shrugged.

“Are you jealous of me, then?” Maia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Alec laughed, earning a glare from Simon. “No, I’m definitely not after your man, Maia.” He looked back at Magnus, hoping his smile wasn’t _too_ obvious. “I’ve got my eye on someone else.”

Magnus’s cheeks could have rivalled Simon’s cupcake. His smile was warmer than the coffee Alec had just poured into the paper cup. Magnus was already handing him a small stack of one dollar bills before he could even ring him up. Alec raised an eyebrow. “What?” Magnus asked. “You can memorize my order but I can’t memorize the cost?”

Alec laughed. “Fair enough.”

Magnus raised his cup in cheers and headed for one of the tables by the window, but he paused. He turned and doubled back to the counter.

“Cupcake or scone?” Alec asked, the corner of his mouth lifting into a half smile.

“Actually,” Magnus said, staring at his cup. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“What’s up?”

“Would you like to go out sometime?” Magnus blurted out, eyes wide when they met Alec’s.

“I would love that,” Alec said, feeling his grin taking over his face.

Magnus’s eyes lit up, his own smile in competition with Alec’s. “Then it’s a date.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! comments and kudos are appreciated <3  
> find me on tumblr and twitter @banesapothecary


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